Increase Your Energy Levels with Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy
It’s no secret that there are many ways to increase your energy levels. There are plenty of supplements, exercises, and foods that claim will make you feel better. But the truth is that nothing can compare with cardiopulmonary physical therapy. Cardiopulmonary PT is a type of rehabilitation for patients who have mild to moderate heart problems. It is an important form of treatment that can be administered in the comfort of your own home. It’s also a great way to get back into shape if you are recovering from surgery, heart disease, or other cardiovascular issues!
What is cardiopulmonary PT?
Cardiopulmonary PT is a form of physical therapy that focuses on the lungs and heart. It couples exercise training with education. It focuses on your chest and posture to moderate symptoms of your condition(s), aid with breathing, and make daily living activities easier.
Cardiopulmonary physical therapy can help with various conditions including:
- Congestive heart failure (CHF)
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Emphysema
- Asthma
- Chronic bronchitis
- Lung cancer
- Heart and lung transplants
What can you expect from PT?
You will undergo a full assessment of your condition(s). They may use different methods including:
- Auscultation – listening to the lungs with a stethoscope.
- Pulmonary function testing – breathing tests, blood gas analysis, and spirometry/lung volume test.
- Electrocardiogram – looking at the electrical activity of the heart through electrodes attached to your skin or chest bandages along with continuous measurement of pulse rate and rhythm.
- Exercise stress test – they monitor how well your heart and lungs work during exercise or stress.
You’ll also get a personalized home program with training plans to increase your daily activity levels safely. You may even learn some exercises you can do on your own.
Can I do PT at home?
Yes! Cardiopulmonary physical therapy is usually done in the comfort of your own living room using equipment that stays there too. If needed, they will go over how to use it correctly so that you are doing things properly from the start. Some common tools for cardiopulmonary physical therapy include:
- Exercise treadmill – this allows them to monitor heart rate while exercising through blood pressure cuffs and electrodes attached on special bands around different parts of the body including the chest and legs.
- Handgrip dynamometer – used to measure the strength of your grip by squeezing a device that records how many pounds of pressure you’re applying with each hand. This is usually done before and after an exercise session so they can monitor progress over time!
- Pulse oximeter – measures oxygen levels in the blood through a small clip placed on one or two fingers which shines light into them while taking measurements every few seconds until it has enough data to tell if there are any changes from normal values or daily fluctuations caused by activities like exercising or stress.
There is lots of information on cardiopulmonary physical therapy, so looking online is a great start. There are many external resources you can use to find the treatment that is right for you!
